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Chrissy Teigen Reveals Secret Battle With Postpartum Depression

By Hope Collier
Published on: 06:44 PST, Mar 6, 2017

In an unexpected cover story published in Glamour magazine, model and entertainer Chrissy Teigen has revealed a secret battle with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter, Luna, last year. The 31-year-old Teigen self-penned her essay, which describes in heartbreaking detail the struggles she experienced after having her first child with husband John Legend.

Most know Chrissy Teigen as the always bubbly host of the hit Spike TV show Lip Sync Battle, yet underneath the jokes and laughter, there was a constant pain that she hid from the public. A pain that Teigen felt compelled to share when contacted by Glamour, forgoing the expected feature story focused on her love of cooking or her experiences as a Sports Illustrated model.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend [Image by Charley Gallay/Getty Images]

According to Teigen, although she had everything “needed to be happy,” she was in a constant state of unhappiness. It took her months to come to grips with the cause of her sadness.

“What basically everyone around me—but me—knew up until December was this: I have postpartum depression.”

Although she has expressed hesitation with revealing her postpartum depression, Chrissy Teigen stated that she felt she needed to speak about what she has gone through because it is a part of “so many other women’s lives.”

In describing her journey through postpartum depression, Teigen begins with her overall positive experiences in pregnancy. Both her and John Legend relished every moment and eagerly awaited Luna’s arrival.

When the first signs of postpartum depression began, Teigen thought she was sad because she was temporarily living in a rental home as she waited for construction to be completed on her new home.

Over time, she returned back to her responsibilities that she had before the birth of Luna. Teigen was once again on the set of Lip Sync Battle, but instead of feeling energized, she struggled to get out of bed. She had physical pain and a loss of appetite, both common symptoms of postpartum depression.

At work during Lip Sync Battle, Teigen exhibited more and more signs of postpartum depression. She was fatigued. Her concentration was off. When people would ask her questions, Teigen would give emotionless responses. At first, she assumed that she was just experiencing personality changes that come with new motherhood.

“I couldn’t figure out why I was so unhappy,” Teigen stated.

As months passed, Teigen’s personality changed even further. At a routine doctor’s appointment, she described all of her symptoms and explained how her anxiety had reached worrying levels. It was then that she was finally diagnosed with postpartum depression.

Armed with a name to describe what she had been feeling, Chrissy Teigen went about the slow process of healing. She began to explain to people around her why she wasn’t her old self anymore. Although she felt some apprehension about revealing her struggles, she knew that she there was nothing she did to cause her postpartum depression.

“Postpartum does not discriminate. I couldn’t control it. And that’s part of the reason it took me so long to speak up: I felt selfish, icky, and weird saying aloud that I’m struggling. Sometimes I still do.”

Teigen is candid in her essay that she now relies on antidepressants to deal with her postpartum symptoms. Even with the medication, she continues to have day-to-day physical and emotional struggles. Still, she is prepared to fight through, thankful for the support of her family, particularly husband Legend, who she says has been committed to seeing her “happy, silly, and energetic again.”

Chrissy Teigen hugging model Barbara Palvin. [Image by Rick Kern/Getty Images]

By revealing her battle with postpartum depression, Chrissy Teigen joins a growing list of celebrities who have revealed they suffer from the disease, including most recently Nashville star Hayden Panettiere and Jurassic World actress Bryce Dallas Howard.

Chrissy Teigen’s postpartum reveal has already generated much support across social media, with many praising her bravery in sharing something so personal to her.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 20 percent of all women who give birth experience postpartum depression symptoms. As celebrities like Chrissy Teigen reveal that they too struggle with the disease — which was once largely stigmatized — they help to give visibility to a growing health problem and aid in new mothers seeking treatment.

[Featured Image by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]

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